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Detroit Tigers acquire infielder Eddys Leonard in trade with Dodgers for cash considerations
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- Detroit Tigers acquire infielder Eddys Leonard in trade with Dodgers for cash considerations
PITTSBURGH — The Detroit Tigers acquired infielder Eddys Leonard from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations before Tuesday's trade deadline, after the failed Eduardo Rodriguez trade .
The 22-year-old, who turns 23 in November, will report to Triple-A Toledo.
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"He's performed really well at the lower levels and does a lot of the things under the hood that we like in hitters," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Tuesday. "We're going to send him straight to Triple-A and give him a chance to demonstrate that he can perform at that level."
EXPLAINER: What happened between Tigers, Dodgers and E-Rod in final hour before trade deadline
Dodgers infielder Eddys Leonard against the Milwaukee Brewers during a spring training game at American Family Fields of Phoenix on Feb. 25, 2023.
Leonard was designated for assignment — removed from the 40-man roster — by the Dodgers on Friday, four days before Tuesday's trade deadline. He was the everyday shortstop for Double-A Tulsa in the Dodgers' organization but has previous experience at second base, third base and center field.
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This season, Leonard hit .254 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, 29 walks (7.5% walk rate) and 85 strikeouts (21.9% strikeout rate) across 388 plate appearances in 92 games at the Double-A level.
Leonard, a right-handed hitter, signed with the Dodgers in July 2017 out of the Dominican Republic as part of the international signing period. It's unclear if he was a part of the Rodriguez trade that never happened.
"I want our young players to play a bunch of positions," Harris said. "I was pleased to see that Eddys Leonard was playing a little center field for the Dodgers. He's going to move around (on defense) in Toledo."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers acquire INF Eddys Leonard from Dodgers for cash
